Convertible table



Aug. 29, 1950 a. WEISS 2,520,789

CONVERTIBLE TABLE Filed Oct. 7,.1948

m INVEN TOR.

HANS M12155 Patented Aug. 29, 1950 oF- ws CONVERTIBLE TABLE Hans Weiss, New York, N. Y. 7

Application October '7, 1948, Serial'No. 53,160

1 Claim. (01. 311-39) 'This invention relates to new and useful improvements in articles of furniture of the table class, and, more'particularly, the aim is to provide' a novel and valuable table which, having a non-folding top for support by and above a plurality of legs, as four thereof, is so constructed that, without removing any part of the top or disconnecting it from the legs, the top may be readily raised from a lower elevation to a higher elevation and vice Versa, thereby, as the case may be, to provide a rigidly established and sturdy table having its top at a height characteristic'of a bridge or dining table, or to provide a rigidly established and sturdy table having its top at a height characteristic of a socalled coffee table.

A further object is to provide a table having between its legs and its top an intermediate structure which may be readily expanded to lift the top to a higher height or collapsed to lower the top to a less height simply as the result of raising or lowering the top.

Still another object is to provide a table as above, wherein the weight of the top and of associated parts holds said intermediate structure collapsed when the table is a lower height one, and wherein there is provided a single rotative element, which may be mounted for rotation on the table top at its underside, for being given a turn through a small fraction of a revolution thereby to securely lock said intermediate structure in its expanded condition to establish a higher height table.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features-of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a now favored embodiment of the inVention With the table top partially broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view looking in the direction of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the table top in course of being raised thereby automatically to expand the intermediate structure.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4' of Fig. 3; but here the table top is shown in dot and dash lines.

i s. 5. l a new sim r is Fla 3.. stews the table top fully raised and the intermediate structure fully expanded.

Fig. 6 is a, horizontal section taken on the line 65 of Fig. 5.

, hinges employed between said members and elsewhere in the new table. H

Fig. 8 is a still further enlarged detail View, this being a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 88 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a table pursuant to the invention is illustratively shown as having a square one-piece top I0, and a base having four legs II, with such legs constituted as'vertically dependent extensions from an integral with a four-armed skeletal or spider frame I2 lying generally in a horizontal plane, and, as here shown, with the upper ends of each leg curvilinearly merging with the outer end of one of the four radially equally diverging arms of the frame I2.

Each of the aforesaid four pairs of interhinged members constituting the intermediate structure is alike, and a description of one such pair'will suffice as a description of all. j

Consider,;for example, the pair of said members shown at the upper right in Fig; 1, and at the right in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. Said pair comprises an upper elongate member I4 of rectangular shape, and a lower member I5 which is preferably a duplicate of the member I 4, as to-length, width and thickness, with the upper and lower ends of each member parallel with each other and perpendicular to the general plane of extension of the member. I v

The lower one of each of the four pairs of such members is connected at its lower end (in Figs. 3 and 4) to and at the top of a different one of the four arms of the frame I2, by a' pianotype hinge; the upper end of said lower mem--, ber is connected to the lower end of the upper member by a similar hinge; and the upper end of said upper member is connected by a similar hinge'to the underside'of the table top I0. In the case of the particular pair of members selected for detailed description as above, the firstmentioned'of said three hingesis marked IS, the second-mentioned one thereof is marked I1, and the third-mentioned one thereof is marked [8. The hinge I1 is clearly shown in Fig, '1.

Th pain 9: increases and tragedy attached members of the intermediate structure, 7

ture squarely; facing another such sub-structure .spaced,180 therefrom. V

Suitably pivotally' mounted on the table top all) at the underside thereof, as at I9, is a fiat plate-like cruciform member 20. The axis of pivoting of such member is at the center of the top IB, and hence equally spaced from the hinge :l 6 and the corresponding hinges of. the three other pairs of link members and from the hinge I8 and the corresponding hinges of the other three pairs of link members. 7

The four arms of the cruciform. member 21! are all of equal length, and of suchlengtlr that, after the.- intermediate structure has been erected as in Fig. 5, a rotation of said member 20, as in the direction of the arrow 2|, through 45, from its normal position indicated in dot and dash lines in: Fig. 6 (this being. its position also indicated in Fig. 1), to its full line position in Fig. 6, the slightly rounded ends of said arms frictionally and dependably engage the inner faces of the members 14 and thereby to lock the latter in the condition shown in Fig. 5.

Thus,- to transform the table from the condition shown in Fig. 2 to the condition shown in Fig. 5,. to provide a bridge or dining table, it is merely necessary fullytolift the top H], and then fractionallyrotate the cruciform member M-asjust described. Note, as shown in'Fig'. 8', that, with thepla-teof the hinge t8 which is attached to the to-p toset in anaccommodating recess 22- in the underside of? the top; and with the pintleeengaging curls of thehinge disposed as shown, the presence of the hinge does not interfere in any way with approach of the outer end of an arm of the member 20 tothe intended frictional engagement thereof with themember M as illustrated in Fig. 6-.

i To transform the table from. the condition shown in Fig. 5-to the conditionshown inFig. 2, to provide a coffee table, it is merely necessary to turn the cruciform. member 20= through say 459, as. in the direction opposite to that. ofthe arrow- 2| of Fig. 6,.and, for. instance, to dispose said member in the position. shown. in dot. and

dash lines-in Fig. 6-; and thenlower the table top i 7 [0 a distance suffi'cie'nt to cause a. slight inward fully as shownin Fig. 2.

, At that time, it being noted that the plate of the hingev [6 which is attachedtothe top of" the associated arm of the frame]? is set in an accommodating recess in the said arm as explained in; connectionwith thehinge E8; the thenbottom face of the member lE'" will. extend. horizontally andfliefiat onthe framef IZ; the member M will lie hat on. the memberflt, and the then upper 4 face of said member 14 will extend horizontally and lie flat against the flat underside of the top Hi. This ideal condition will be present also at each of the other three pairs of inter-hinged members of the intermediate structure.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming" within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by'United States Letters Patent is:

In a table having a base and a table top restin on the top face of the base, means interposed between the base and the top for holding the top in a position raised off the base, comprising a plurality of extendable members having superimposed elongated members between" the'bas'e and the table top and arranged in a circle with their lengths extended radially, said superimposedmembershaving their inner ends pivotally' connected together, the uppermost of said superimposed members having their outer ends pivoted on the hot-tom: face of the table top-and the lower-- most of said superimposed members having their outer ends pivoted on the top face-of the base, whereby when the tabletop is raised off the base said superimposed members pivot relative toeach other and relative to the base and thetable'top and'becorne vertically disposed retaining the-table top in its-positionraised off the base, andmeansonthe bottom: face of said table topfor releasably retaining said extendable membersagainst collapsing when the table top is in its raised position, said releasable retaining means comprising. a member having-a radially extending arm for each of said. extendable members, said member being turnably mounted on the bottom face of the table top at the center of the area defined bythe pivotal mounting of: the outer ends of: the uppermost of said super-imposed members withsaid radially extending arms between said extendable members,.whereby when the table top is in. its raised position said: latter member can beturned to engagethe free ends Of said radially extending. armsbehind. the uppermost ofsaidsuperimposed members.=

HANS WEISS;

anr'nmzncas 01111121)- The following? references are of record in the file of this patent: 

